Ellis County Fair board members have been busy the last few months reaching out to old and potential new sponsors. Even with their efforts, fundraising has fallen short of their goal this year by $25,000.
The Ellis County Fair is one of the longest standing events in Ellis County starting back in the late 1800s.
County fairs were a way to unite all the cities, towns, and villages to celebrate those that lived within the county lines. They also displayed their best harvest and crafts.
The Ellis County Fair started in the now city limits of Hays, at one time the south end on Main Street. Land was donated to the county by the Schenk family and now sits on its current location.
The present Ellis County Fair provides entertainment to go along with all the entries so it will draw people to come view all the exhibits. The Ellis County 4-H club members work hard on not only their livestock exhibits, but other entries such as needlework, foods, arts and crafts, woodworking, and photography. They are judged on their entries teaching youth important life skills that will help them evolve into well-rounded adults.
While the fair has grandstand entertainment that requires a ticket for attendance, there are a number of family-orientated events that are offered free to the public, but still cost money to bring them in. Some of those are the petting zoo, live music on the midway, contests such as cornhole, hot dog eating contest, pie eating contest, kids’ games, Lego contest, wagon rides from Clydesdales, and a balloon artist, to name a few.
The few fair board members also work on updating the fairgrounds every year to make it a nice facility. They have donated countless hours and personal equipment and supplies to make the fairgrounds a great attraction.
What we ask of the community is to support the fair. If you are able to donate to help, make this long-standing tradition continue operating and growing, it would be a great benefit to our community. There is no donation too big or small. We have a large number of businesses and individuals that have sponsored the county fair for countless years already, and for that we are grateful for their generosity to support this tradition.
If you are able to support the Ellis County Fair, please contact a board member; member listing is found on their website: Another Day in Fairadise! You can also email them at [email protected].
The Ellis County fair runs from July 11-19, 2025. If you are not able to donate, consider entering and competing at the fair!
Jill Pfannenstiel
Vice-President, Ellis County Fair Association